Breaking: Four More Charged In Steubenville Rape Case

A grand jury investigating the rape of a 16-year-old in Steubenville, Ohio in 2012 has indicted four more people in the case – including the assistant football coach and school superintendent.

From CNN:

Superintendent Michael McVey was the only one of the four to be charged Monday with felonies: a count of tampering with evidence and two counts of obstructing justice. He also is charged with two misdemeanors: making a false statement and obstructing official business.

A school teacher and an elementary school principal were charged with failure to report child abuse or neglect. A volunteer assistant Steubenville football coach, Matt Belardine, was charged with four misdemeanors: allowing underage drinking; obstructing official business; making a false statement; and contributing to the unruliness or delinquency of a child.

This is great news for the victim and for anyone who followed the case and recognized the blatant cover-ups that were so obvious for most of us to see. Many in the town repeatedly suggested that it was the media who was the real villain in this case – not the rapists themselves. In actuality, the conduct of a few concerned citizens snowballed into a national awareness of a coverup that had some parents in the town reluctant to speak up for fear of what their neighbors would do.

Thanks to the work of Anonymous and some really brave bloggers (including our own Eve Vawter) we were privy to images and stories that left us all wondering how you could possibly argue with the validity of the charges – while many in the town including the coaches continued to support the boys and insist it was their lives this whole situation was ruining. Unbelievable. Meanwhile, the victim was crucified in the public – even by other women and usually sensible, “feminist” sites (we’re looking at you, Jezebel.)

Today is a good day.

(photo: Twitter)